Earth boring machine



April 9, 1940. N. GATTO EARTH BORING MACHINE Filed June '7. 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ,"'l BY W ATTORNEYS w? x r 22 fiagiwril 9, 1940. N GATTQ EARTH BORING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 !NVENTOF\ W azzz M 1 TTORNEYS Filed. June 7, 1939 Aprifl 9,, W46 N. GATTQ I EARTH BORING MACHINE 4 Shets-Sheet 3 INZNTOR Filed June 7, 19339 A I'TORNEYS N. GATTQ EARTH BORING MAGEINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 v Filad June 7, 1939 INVENTOR @165, BY ,4/ ATTQRNFY Patented Apr. 9, 1940 j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates'particularly to a machine for boring holes under existing embankments and paved streets or highways, where it is desirable to avoid disturbance of the surface.

The invention is especially designed for earth boring in the installation of subterranean pipe.

The invention particularly concerns an earth boring machine of the type that includes a boring head rotatably mounted on a carriage which is movable in the direction of the axis of the boring head to advance and retract the head, and one object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved power drive for both the boring head and said carriage which shall be simple and compact and whereby the relation between speed of rotation and speed of longitudinal movement of the boring head can be varied easily and quickly at the will of the operator.

Another object is to provide a machine of the general character described which shall have novel and improved means to permit movement of the carriage selectively manually or by power so as to accommodate the machine to different conditions encountered in drilling or boring operations.

A further object is to provide in such a ma-' proved boring head for a machine of the character described which shall include cutters, oran auger, or both, and a guide or support at the rear of the cutters to engage the walls of the hole, whereby any tendency of the cutters or auger to drift is restrained by contact of the guide with the walls of the hole behind the cutters.

Other objects, advantages and results of the invention will appear from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an earth boring machine embodying my invention, showing the same in a trench during the beginning of the operation of boring a horizontal hole.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a similar view on the line 9-3 of Figure 1.

Another object is to provide a novel and im' Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, illustrated on an enlarged scale and with portions broken away and shown in section.

Figure 4A is a horizontal sectional view on the line tA-QA of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional perspective view of a portion of the base of the machine.

Figure 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the line 6--6 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view similar to Figme 1 showing a cleaning attachment for withdrawing loosened dirt and rocks from the bored hole.

Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view on the line 8-8 of Figure 7, and

Figure 9 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view on the line 99 of Figure 1.

Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the machine includes a base A which includes a plurality of inverted channel bars I to be set on the bottom of a trench B and secured in position as by spikes 2. Fastened upon the channel bars I is a track structure C that is shown as comprising two parallel, horizontal guide channels 4 which open 5 toward each other, and a pair of parallel horizontal track flanges 5.

Mounted on the track structure is a carriage D that has horizontal, parallel basal flanges 6, each of which is freely slidable in one of the guide channels 4, said parallel flanges being elongate so as to be capable of engaging the channels throughout extended areas. The carriage has a plurality of rollers I journaled on each side thereof and-resting upon the respec- 5 tive track flanges 5 so as to support the carriage on the track structure. With this construction and arrangement of parts, the basal flanges 6 in the channels 4 prevent vertical upward movement of the carriage relative to the track structure, while the weight of the carriage is supported by the rollers l on the'track flanges, all of which has important functional advantages as hereinafter pointed out.

A boring shaft E isjournaled on the carriage D with its axis horizontal and parallel to the track flanges 5 and guide channels 4. The shaft may be mounted in any suitable manner, but is shown as journaled in bearings 8' and 9, the latter of which may be disposed in the casing of a conventional speed change and reverse mechanism G (or so-called transmission) which need not be further described. One or both of these bearings 8 and 9 may be constructed to assume 55 longitudinal thrusts on the shaft incident to the boring operations.

The boring shaft is driven directly from a. suitable motor I0 which may be a compressed air motor, electric motor or internal combustion motor and controlled by suitable control mechanism schematically illustrated at II. This motor is mounted on a superstructure F secured to the carriage D, with the drive shaft l2 of the motor disposed horizontally above the boring shaft and preferably in an axial plane thereof, there being suitable bearings 3 for the drive shaft. Secured to the drive shaft is a pinion l4 which meshes with a gear I 5 on the boring shaft E.

For moving the carriage D on the track structure in the direction of the axis of the boring shaft, the boring shaft is connected through the transmission G and a countershaft 6 which is preferably in axial alinement with the boring shaft, to a speed reducing gearing I! that may comprise a worm and worm wheel, the latter of which is connected to a shaft |8 which has a sprocket l9 which is in turn connected by a chain 20 to a sprocket 2| on a stub shaft 22 journaled in the carriage. The stub shaft 22 has a pinion 23 that meshes with a gear 24 which in turn meshes with a rack bar 25 secured on the base A between the guide channels 4.

Preferably there is a clutch connection between the sprocket 2| and the shaft 22. This clutch connection includes the sprocket which is freely rotatable on the shaft 22 and carries a pin 26 that selectively may be inserted into and removed from an opening 27 in a disc 28 fixedly connected to the shaft 22. When the pin 26 is inserted in the opening 21, the sprocket 2| is locked to the shaft 22 so that the shaft may be driven through the power driving mechanism above described, while when the pin 26 is removed from the opening 21, the shaft 22 may be rotated independently of the sprocket 2|. This permits manual rotation of the shaft 22 which may be facilitated by a crank 29 on the shaft 22.

At the end of the boring head E opposite the power driving mechanism above described, is a boring head H which comprises a shaft 30 screw threaded or otherwise secured at one end at 3| upon the shaft E. Upon the other end of the shaft 30 is secured as by screw threading, a pilot auger 32. The shaft 30 has secured thereto diametrically opposite radially projecting arms 33 upon each of which is mounted a cutter 34. As

shown, each cutter has one edge 35 approximately parallel to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the shaft and another cutting edge 36 disposed parallel to an axial plane of and diagonally to the axis of the shaft.

The boring head also includes a guide for reducing the tendency of the pilot auger and cutters to drift upwardly or downwardly during boring operation. This guide is shown as comprising an extension 31 on each arm 33 to which is connected one end of a helical segment 38, the other end of which is connected to an arm 39 carried by a disc 46 secured to the shaft. The helical segments 38 have guide surfaces approximately parallel to and concentric with the axis of the boring shaft and of a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the hole formed by the cutters 34, so that said surfaces will contact with the side wall of the hole formed by the cutters. The helical formation of the segments 38 is not indispensable, although it is preferable in facilitating advance of the guide into the hole formed by the cutters.

In operation of the machine, a trench B is dug to the required depth, and the base A of the machine is secured in the bottom of the trench by the spikes 2. The pilot auger 32 is then brought into contact with the end wall of the trench through which a hole is to be bored, after which the motor I0 is started by the control mechanism H to rotate the boring shaft and the boring head so as to form a hole I. The boring head is advanced into the hole by engagement of the gear 24 with the rack 25 and driving of the gear either manually by the crank 29 or through the power driving mechanism described. By suitable adjustment of the speed change gearing in the transmission G by manipulation of the hand lever K as usual, the speed of advance of the boring head may be varied as desired. For example, if the boring head easily penetrates the earth the transmission gearing may be adjusted to advance the carriage and boring head at the highest speed, while when the boring head encounters great resistance, the boring head and carriage may be advanced at a slower speed, or by the hand crank 29 upon disconnection of the sprocket 2| from the shaft 22 through removal of the clutch pin 26 from the hole 21 in the disc 28.

Any tendency of the carriage to tilt, chatter or vibrate, is resisted by contact of the basal flanges 6 of the carriage with the channels 4, so that tendency of the boring head to drift is restrained and shocks and jars on the carriage and driving mechanism are reduced. Due to the relative location of the driving shaft I2, the boring shaft E, the countershaft l6 and the track pinion 24, the strains incident to operation of the boring head are evenly distributed throughout the carriage.

The guide L for the boring head, including the helical segments 38, constantly supports the boring head in its advance through the hole being bored, and inasmuch as the guide contacts the walls of the hole behind the cutters, any tendency of the boring head to drift up or down is effectually restrained.

If desired, the shaft E may be made up of sections which may be successively added as the boring head advances into the hole, and preferably a bearing guide 4| is mounted on the base between the boring head and the bearing 9 to provide an intermediate support for the boring shaft.

It may be desired to lubricate the boring head with water, and for this purpose the boring shaft E, boring head shaft 30 and a portion of the auger 32 may be tubular, and water may be introduced into the boring shaft through a head or coupling 43 and discharged to the auger through openings 44. The hydraulic head 43 is a tubular casing surrounding the boring shaft and non-rotatably held by a support 45 on the carriage, and the portion of the shaft within the hydraulic head has perforations 46 through which the water may flow into the shaft. The water may be supplied to the hydraulic head through a hose or pipe connection 41.

For the purpose of cleaning a hole that has been bored between two trenches as indicated in Figure '7, I may provide a cleaning disc 48 to be screw threaded upon the boring head shaft 30 in place of the auger 32. The disc is of a diameter approximately the same as that of the hole I, and is applied to the boring shaft I at the end of the hole farthest from the carriage D, as shown by dot and dash lines in Figure '7. Thereupon the carriage is retracted or moved backwardly to draw the disc backwardly through the hole as shown by solid lines in Figure 7. Dur-- ing this operation, the disc serves as a scraper from the hole.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the details of structure and arrangement of the parts of the machine may be widely modified and changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: i

1. An earth boring machine comprising a has having parallel tracks, a carriage movable on said tracks, a boring shaft journaled on said carriage with its axis approximately parallel to said tracks, a motor mounted on said carriage above said boring shaft and having a drive shaft in approximately a vertical axial plane of said boring shaft, a direct driving connection between said drive shaft and said boring shaft, a rack on said base parallel to said tracks, a gear journaled on said carriage and meshing with said rack, a countershaft journaled on the carriage countershaft and said gear, and a speed-change v connection between said countershaft and said boring shaft.

2. An earth boring machine comprising a base having parallel tracks, a carriage movable on said tracks, a boring shaft journaled on said carriagevwith its axis approximately parallel to said tracks, a motor mounted on said carriage above said boring shaft and having a drive shaft, a driving connection between said drive shaft and said boring shaft, a rack on said base parallel to said tracks, a gear journaled on said carriage and meshing with said rack, a countershaft journaled on the carriage, a speed-reducing driving connection between said countershaft and said gear, and a speed-change connection between said countershaft and said boring shaft.

3. The earth boring machine set forth in claim 2 with the addition of a clutch in said speedreducing driving connection for connecting and- 

